The Piano
by DetectiveCroftD'Arling
Summary: Jane used to be a piano prodigy, but she hasn't touched her piano since Hoyt. When Maura finds Jane playing her own song... what happens?


Jane was sitting on the stool by her piano, contemplating whether or not she should play. She hadn't so much as touched the piano in her living room since her first experience with Hoyt, but Jane longed for the calming melody; one that she knew very few sets of hands besides hers could replicate. Jane was a prodigy in her childhood, and had continued playing well into her adulthood. That was until the Surgeon. Since Jane had been stabbed, she was scared to touch her beautiful black piano because she didn't know if she was still fully capable of producing gorgeous song like she used to. But her detective curiosity had gotten the better of her, as it usually did, sooner or later. Jane fingered the keys, both black and white, just to make positive that the piano hadn't stopped working in her absence. Once she was sure each key still played its note, Jane started playing. It was a melody she had composed herself, when she wanted to relieve stress from the academy. The notes themselves were calm and soothing, and she remembered that whoever she played for was always immediately relaxed; Jane was that good.

Jane herself was completely engrossed in her piece, and didn't care to notice that the sound of her music had travelled through the apartment walls, and was attracting visitors to the outside of the flat, just to get a better sense of the absolutely opera-worthy playing. Jane, of course, didn't notice when her best friend, one Dr Maura Isles, parked her car outside the building and made her way inside.

Maura was astonished by the elegance of the music coming out of the apartment wall; it was a kind of grace she hadn't encountered since her boarding school days in France. Maura knew Jane possessed a piano in her place, and that she was exceptionally gifted, but she also knew that Jane hadn't played since before they had known one another, and that Jane hadn't ever spoken about her piano days to anyone since Hoyt's first attack. For this reason, the scientist in Maura somehow doubted the origin of the marvelous music. Those skepticisms were soon put to bed, as she saw the crowd of tenants quietly gathered around the door marked number twelve. Out of respect for Jane and her privacy, Maura recruited Marissa to help get the other listeners-in back to their apartments. When the hallway was cleared, Maura thanked Marissa and made her way back to Jane's apartment. Not wanting to end Jane's clear run of genius, Maura used her own key to the door; Jane had given it to her in case she would ever need it. Maura thought that this qualified as one of these moments. Jane was so caught up in her playing that she didn't notice Maura slip in through the door and make her way into the kitchen. Jane didn't need the song sheets to tell her what music to play; she had long before committed the music to memory. The piece held one of the rarely seen soft spots in Jane's heart, even if the notes hadn't been played in more than three years.

The last thing Maura wanted to do right now was interrupt Jane and possibly scare her. Maura noticed that Jane's gun was by her side. With this observation, she altered her thoughts. The last thing she wanted to do was scare Jane and get shot. Interrupting Jane would not only put Maura in somewhat mortal danger, but definite emotional danger as well; Jane would probably freak out at having someone in her house without knowing, and she would never play the piano again. Furthermore, interruption would end the life of the music almost literally floating out of the piano. Maura had heard rumors about how talented Jane was at playing the piano since she had arrived in Boston as the Chief M.E. Some of the few detectives who had actually experienced her genius had mentioned that her playing skills were as good, if not better than her detective skills, both being honed since childhood. Maura, being her usual self, could not ever tell whether they were joking or not, but now she could tell that they were completely serious, regardless of the fact that the detectives may have been laughing while they spoke. Maura couldn't believe that no one had heard Jane play in over three years. This music was a gift to mankind. Anyone who had ever heard these notes played surely has been going through torture ever since Jane's attack, merely because they thought they would never hear the music again.

Maura's thoughts jumped back into reality when she noticed that the piece was coming to an end. Jane still hadn't noticed her best friend's presence, and Maura wasn't sure how to go about keeping her calm when she found out. A glass of water might help. She quickly poured one and made her way over to Jane, but then thought better of the close range and decided to hide behind the human self defense bag.

Jane's song finished and she stepped out of her magical piano-induced stupor. Maura noticed this and went over what to say in her head. She couldn't think of any words that were particularly eloquent, which was unlike her, so she settled for words that were particularly friendly. "I haven't heard anything so beautiful since my senior year in France," she said. Jane jumped about two feet in the air from surprise and took out her gun, looking for the intruder. Seeing it was just Maura, Jane visibly relaxed. "Could you put away your gun, Detective? I can't exactly do my own autopsy, and I'm pretty sure you'd miss me anyway," Maura tried to lower the tension in the room with a joke, one that Jane thought was not funny enough.

"One: I would miss you incredibly. To no end. Two: How long have you even been standing there?"

"Well, you could hear the music from the hallways, so I've been listening for about ten minutes. But Marissa and I were trying to keep people from interrupting you, so I've only been in here about five of those minutes."

"God, and you've heard me play the entire time?"

"Naturally. Your music was so beautiful, anyone in the vicinity would automatically cease all their activities to listen to you. You have a gift, Jane."

"Yeah, I know. My gift is detective work. This is the first time I've even touched that thing since Hoyt's first time. I'm a bit rusty."

"Rusty? If that's not your best, I think I would start crying at whatever is." Maura walked over to Jane with the glass of water and handed it to her. She was not familiar with the social norms for this kind of situation, so once Jane took a sip of water and set down her glass, Maura wrapped Jane's hands in her own and held them close. She kissed the backs of each of Jane's palms and said "Nothing will keep you from making your musical magic ever again. I promise." And with that, Maura moved closer to Jane, reached up on tiptoe, and lightly set her lips on Jane's forehead. "I know I don't look much like the protecting type like you, but I promise that I've got your back. Nothing has to stop you from portraying your gift ever again. Emotionally or physically or anything else."

Jane just smiled a big smile and said eight of the most confusing words Maura had ever heard in her life. Not because of the words themselves, but because of the context they were in. "I can't believe you just said that, Maur." Jane closed whatever distance was left between the two and engulfed Maura in a kiss.

The kiss lasted a while, with both parties involved, and then Maura pulled back. "You can't believe I said what?" she said, smiling but confused.

"You said you had my back and you would protect me, even though you're small and cute and I usually do the protecting. I think that was the most caring and loving thing I've heard in my life. And I think I love you for it."

"Well thank you, Jane. I didn't know you thought I was cute," Maura teased.

"Oh, get over here, you cute, hot, gorgeous thing." Jane wrapped her arms around Maura and held her tight. "Now that I think about it, that song I wrote is exactly like you: calm, soft, relaxing, elegant, and beautiful." Maura replied with yet another tease, trying to get some practice in, albeit at Jane's expense. "Maybe that's why you love your music so much," she smiled.

"Oh, shut up, _Doctor Isles_. You know you love me too."

"I do. Do you remember when you told me not to go out with Giovanni, and that you were interesting and I didn't want to sleep with you?"

"I could never forget that."

"Good. You are interesting, no doubt. But you were wrong in your next statement."

"Oh, so you _do_ want to sleep with me? I thought you couldn't lie."

"I can't. I don't just _want_ to sleep with you. I need you in my life. I love you, so let me show it." Maura smiled a wicked grin.

"Wow, Maur. Where was this side of you when we were in Giovanni's garage?"

"My mind was consumed in the bliss of your arms, and in being LLBFFs."

"I see. So, you want to try it out, I suppose?"

"More than anything."

"Good. I suggest we do something before Marissa comes back to check on us." Jane flashed her famous Rizzoli grin and scooped Maura up "marriage-style". Jane carried her into the bedroom and then threw Maura down on the bad after kicking the door shut with her foot. Maura landed with an "oof". She was already aroused from Jane's sudden control, and was only expecting more. Maura reciprocated Jane's earlier words with a snarky smile, one that might have given that Rizzoli grin a run for its money. "I can't believe you just said that, Jane."

Jane just flickered the aforementioned smirk and sauntered over to Maura, taking her jacket and shirt off and leaving them on the floor, whether or not Maura would pay attention to the wrinkles later. "Well, you'd better believe it, Doctor, because we are going to be doing that _something_ until we both pass out."

Maura sat up and giggled. She said the only three words Jane needed to hear at the moment. "Bring. It. On."


End file.
